Feed mechanism for grinding-mills



(No Model.)

I H. H. RING. FEED MEGHANISMFOR GRINDING MILLS. No. 499,145. PatentedJune 6, 1893.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

HENRY H. RING, OF LAIRDSVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO SPROUT, WALDRON & (30.,

OF MUNCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED MECHANISM FOR GRINDING-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 499,145, dated J 1.1116 6, 1893.

Application filed February 2, 1893. Serial No. 460.748- (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY H. RING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lairdsville, in the county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FeedMechanism for Grinding-Mills; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to a feeding device particularly adapted toroller mills, middlingspurifiers and sieve machinery, also to anymachine requiring an even spread of stock-or material over a broadsurface, and in which the feed is automatically controlled by afeedgate, which is operated by the weight of the grain to enlarge theoutlet opening, and is rendered self-closing by gravity or by means ofcounterbalancing weights or springs.

The multiplicity of parts usually employed in feeders of the characterreferred to renders the same more or less complex and expensive inmanufacture, and unreliable and unsatisfactory in use, owing to thenecessity for frequent re-adjustment 0f the various parts and theincreased liability to get out of order when the mill is in operation.Furthermore, a straight gate of any considerable length,'suoh as isusually employed in roller-mills, middlings-purifiers and analogousmachines, is liable to be raised or lowered unevenly or obliquely to thesurface of the feed-roller or feed-board, thus permitting the stock ormaterial to be fed unevenly and more rapidly at one end of the hopperthan at the other, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the machine andproducing poor stock.

The object of my invention is to overcome these several objections andto provide an automatic feed mechanism which shall be simple inconstruction, inexpensive in manufacture, and eflicient and reliable inuse.

The invention will first be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification, and then pointed outin the claims at the end of this description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a fragmentary sectional view, inperspective, of a portion of a double grinding mill with my improvementsattached; and Fig. 2 is a detail showing a bracket with pivot pin forthe attachment of one of the pivoted arms of the adjustable feed-gate.

While I have represented the invention as applied to a doubleroller-mill, or a mill having two sets of grinding rolls, it will ofcourse be understood that I contemplate its application'to other typesof mills, middlings-purifiers, &c., and it may be applied to eithersingle, double orv multiple mills; the feed mechanism for each set ofrolls being adapted to act independently of and unaffected by thecorresponding mechanism of another set of rolls, sieves or screens.

Referring particularly to the drawings, A, A, denote parts of a pair ofhoppers; B, B, grinding-rolls; O, a shaking-shoe or feedboard; D, D,feed-gates controlling outlet openings which extend lengthwise of eachfrom cont-rivances of the same general character heretofore in use,except that the feedgates, instead of being flat and presenting straightsurfaces parallel with the adjacent inclined walls of the hoppers arepreferably formed with convex fronts as shown at d, cl.

The gates D, D, are each provided with hinged or pivoted supporting barsE, which may extend forward or back from the gate and have theiropposite ends pivotally secured upon studs or pins g, projecting frompivot plates or brackets G. The brackets G, are preferably providedintermediate their ends with bosses G, from which the pins g, project,so as to set the arms off from the side of the hopper or frame asufficient distance to clear the space between the same and the end ofthe gate; the length of the hopper being somewhat greater than that ofthe gate. The

brackets G, are pivoted at one end, as indicated at g, and theiropposite ends are provided with curved slots 9 which are struck upon thearc of a circle concentric with the ICO pivots 9'. Set screws 9 passingthrough the curved slots 9 into the side pieces of the frame of themachine serve to secure the brackets in any desired position, and permitthe same to be adjusted upon their respective pivots so as to raise orlower the pivots of the bars F, for the purpose of raising or loweringeither end of the gate so as to secure a uniform depth of openingbetween the lower edge thereof and the surface of the feed-shoe orroller beneath the same, and thereby insure auniform and even feed fromend to end of the gate. This feature of the invention is of greatimportance, especially in feeding flour or other fine material, as itpermits a nice and exact adjustment of the gate, and compensates for anyunevenness or obliquity in the surface of the feed-board in respect tothe lower straightedge of the gate.

The discharge of the material through the throat of the hopper isautomatically controlled by the weight of the grain pressing upon thehinged boards E, and E, the latter being provided with arms or bars H,H, which project through openings in the front walls of the hoppers andare adjustably connected with the gates by depending rods h, h, havingthumb nuts 71?, h, thereon for securing the desired adjustment. By thismeans the feed-gate is adapted to rise or fall as the weight of thegrain upon the pressure-board varies, and thereby automatically regulatethe flow through the outlet opening. The feed-gates may also be adjustedand secured at any desired height by means of the adjusting rods h, h,and thumb nuts 71 if. II are provided with a series of perforations,

as shown, to permit the connect-ion between thesame and the rods h, h,to be shifted in order to increase or decrease the leverage and therebyvary the amount of pressure required to raise or lower the gate.

1, I, denote adjustable supports for sustaining and guiding thefeed-board or shoeO, in its movements. In a double mill, as shown,

the shoe may consist of duplicate parts 0, C, with intermediate divisionboard 0, and side flanges 0', formed integrally or in separable parts,as may be desired.

When feeding sharp stuff such as wheat,

oats, &c., in the kernel, I preferably attach to the upper front edge ofthe shoe a detachable triangular cleat 0 which serves to retard or bankthe material at this point and produce an even flow over the cleat ontothe grinding rolls.

It will be understood of course that the construction and arrangement ofparts may be varied more or less without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and hence I do not desire to be limited to the exactconstruction and arrangement shown. I am aware, however, that afeed-gate and an adj ustably connected hinged pressure-board, togetherwith pivoted arms projecting from the gate and The arms I-I,

pivoted in a plane at right angles to the illner face of the gate arenot new, andI make no broad claim to such construction.

Another application of the feeding device described herein isillustrated in an application for a patent of even date herewith, inwhich this feeder is shown applied to a middlings-purifier.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. Theautomatic feeder, comprising the hinged pressure-board having the armprojecting therefrom through the wall of the hopper, the feed-gatesuspended from said arm and provided with projecting arms or bars whichare pivotally supported at their outer ends, and means for shifting thepivotal supports-of said bars so as to raise or lower either end of thegate, substantially as described.

2. The automatic feeder, comprising the hinged pressure-board having theperforated arm projecting therefrom through an opening in the wall ofthe hopper, the feed-gate suspended from said arm in proximity to theoutlet from the hopper by an adjusting rod with screw threaded nutthereon for adj nsting the same, the pivoted bars projecting from saidgate, the pivoted brackets supporting the pivots of said bars, and meansfor adjusting the brackets so as to raise or lower said pivots,substantially as described.

3. In a feeder for grindingor other mills, the combination with thefeed-hopper, of the hinged pressure-board having an arm projectingtherefrom through an opening in the wall of the hopper, the adjustablefeed-gate, the rod connecting said gate and arm, the brackets eachconsisting of a fiat metallic plate pivoted at-one end and provided witha curved slot at its opposite end concentric with said pivot and with anintermediate pivot pin or stud,the pivoted bars having one end securedto said gate and their opposite ends fitted on said pivot pins, andmeans for securing the brackets in the desired position,

substantially as described.

4. In combination with the feed-hopper and shaking-shoe, the adjustablefeed-gate, the pivoted bars projecting from said gate, the pivotedplates carrying the pins upon which said bars are pivoted, means foradjusting said plates so as to shift the pivots of said bars, thepressure-board hinged Within the hopper and having an arm projectingtherefrom through an opening in the side of the hopper, and the rodadjustably connecting said arm and gate,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I HENRY I-l. RING. Witnesses: G. L. RAMER, J. RUSSEL SMITH.

